1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical devices, and, more particularly, to syringes and fluid collection devices having protective elements for preventing needle accidents.
2. Description of Related Art
Health personnel concern over inadvertent needle sticks has become more acute with the growing awareness of high-profile blood-borne diseases such as AIDS and the various forms of hepatitis. Consequently many designs have been disclosed for minimizing the risk of such exposure.
Among the safety needles known in the art are those described in the patents of Juhasz (U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,251), Maszkiewicz et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,510), Tamaro (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,630,803; 5,807,352; 5,810,784; and 5,817,070), Taranto et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,774), Berger (U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,823), De Marco et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,064), Hake et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,041), and Pyrozyk et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,047).
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a safety syringe.
It is an additional object to provide such a safety syringe that automatically shields the needle tip after usage.
It is a further object to provide such a safety syringe that locks in the shielded position after usage.
It is another object to provide a method of delivering an injection in a manner that prevents inadvertent needle sticks.
It is yet an additional object to provide a method a making a safety syringe.
It is yet a further object to provide a safety blood or other fluid collection device.
It is yet another object to provide a method of collecting blood or other fluid samples in a manner that prevents inadvertent needle sticks.
These objects and others are attained by the present invention, which includes a safety mechanism for shielding a needle tip, such as for medical implements including syringes and fluid collection devices. The safety mechanism comprises a sheath that has a longitudinal bore extending from a distal end to a proximal end. The bore is adapted to slidingly admit at least a distal portion of a needle.
The safety mechanism further includes a pair of arms, each of which has a proximal end that is affixed adjacent a distal end of a medical implement housing and a distal end that is affixed adjacent the sheath""s proximal end. The arms are movable between a shielding position wherein the sheath is in covering relation to a tip of the needle and an injecting position wherein the needle tip extends beyond the sheath""s distal end.
Means for biasing the arms to the shielding position are provided, as are means for locking the arms in the shielding position.
Also included in the present invention are a syringe and a fluid (e.g., blood) collection device having such a safety mechanism affixed thereto, as well as methods for using and making such devices.
The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.